UK businesses offered £4m to design circular future for plastics

Funds would be used for projects in the field of circular economy, with a focus on the reduction of plastic pollution. The idea is to small and medium enterprise develop solutions for this global problem.

Image: Shutterstock Businesses in the UK are being offered a share of up to £4 million to look at ways of reducing plastic waste . The competition is seeking circular economy approaches to plastic use that could include developing new polymer materials, product designs, new recycling processes and innovations that encourage people to change behaviour. Projects could also look at new business models focused on compostable or biodegradable materials. They can be led by a business or a research or technology organisation but all projects must include a small and medium enterprise (SME). Only an SME can lead projects with costs below £100,000. The funding is provided by UK Research and Innovation and delivered by Innovate UK and the deadline for applications is 8 th August 2018. The announcement comes as the government has pledged to tackle plastic pollution in the country, with plans for a bottle deposit return scheme .

As an engineer of technology, Suzana is especially interested in toxic substances and food chemistry with minimal use of chemicals in production. She promotes the use of greener solutions in everyday life, and the fact that one person can make the difference!